Hiding
by Won't-wear-a-Halo
Summary: Neither one of us thought this mission would hold any danger. Then it all went wrong and Bucky and I needed to find ourselves a place to hide.


**Hiding**

* * *

"Shit" a voice said through my earpiece and I chuckled. The word had been spoken in an incredibly soft tone, though the frustration was still evident. Usually there would be an explanation, why the silence had been broken. Often something as simple as; I nearly slipped, or, thought I was seen. Now the word was followed by an ominous silence that erased the smile from my lips. I glanced back at the large quiet soldier behind me, he shrugged his shoulders, while his eyebrows were raised. He didn't know what was happening either. In the distance shuffling could be heard, but no more words were shared over the communication system in our ears. A chill went up my spine as I could do nothing but wait for the silence to be broken once more. It wasn't until shots were fired and a roaring fire seemed to light up the night, that we knew something was wrong.

The mission had been simple, or it was supposed to be at least, a simple surveillance. Though as soon as we'd arrived we knew there would be a change in plans. Sam quickly made the call, we'd have to go in. Or some of us would, to liberate the hostages that were brought in on our first night of surveilling. The sight was supposed to have been nothing more than a storage facility. We would see what they were storing, before taking action. When it became clear that the cargo they stored were people, we had to act quickly.

Which was why Scott had gone in, while we radioed the base for back-up. Sam would stay close, just in case Scott needed help, Bruce was sent back to the plane, to create a quick get-away. And Bucky and I were perched on a hill, sniper position to safely guard their departure.

After the initial shots, Sam called out over the comms that it had been a trap. Scott was injured and they were going to the plane. I knew there would be no time for us to reach the plane as well. We told them to go, we'd wait for the back up. The most important thing right now was to get Scott the help he needed. It wasn't clear just how bad his injuries were. And we were hidden from the storage facility, so we decided that we would be fine.

That was before they found our hiding place.

Now we had been running non-stop for nearly thirty minutes and my body was screaming at me to stop. I really wasn't made for this, I thought as I felt sweat gather underneath my suit, while Bucky seemed entirely unaffected by the endurance run. He kept pace with me, though I knew he could easily go much faster. Super soldier and all. Still he'd never abandon his team, I knew that.

There was a small town up ahead that we needed to reach. There, safety would surely loom over us, with plenty of buildings to hide in. Except, it was so far away and I was running out of breath. My sides were burning and I could barely place one foot in front of the other anymore. I was a sniper. Usually far away from the action. Athletically speaking, I was a sprinter, not a marathoner. I was quick. A burst of energy. Nothing more. Though I now knew that I would have to start training for that as soon as we got back to the compound. If we got out of this jam that was.

"Just go" I finally told Bucky, not wanting him to get caught because of me. He was already carrying my riffle and my bag. Still I was slowing him down. Bucky had scoffed at my suggestion though and grabbed my hand, pulling me along behind him. It was good, I didn't have to pay much attention on where we were going, I could simply follow him. That way I could put all my attention on my feet.  
Left, right, duck, stairs, jump. Bucky gave short instructions as he led me into town. We couldn't stay on the edge, we'd be found far too quickly.

The streets were deserted, it was the middle of the night and though people would have covered us, it would have also slowed us down even more than I was doing to him. Weaving through throngs of people was tricky.

By now, I lost all ability to speak, so I squeezed his hand, hoping to signal him that I really couldn't go any further. That was when he suddenly tugged on my arm hard, making me stumble into his arms, before he close a door behind us. The space was incredibly small, no more than a broom closet. But it was good enough.

Placing a hand over my mouth, I tried to slow down my breathing quickly. Sweat was rolling down my face and back, the hair that had fallen out of my ponytail sticking to my face and my heart was still beating out of my chest. Bucky gently rubbed my back, trying to help me calm down. If I kept breathing like this, they were sure to hear me through that door. It was a simple door, more akin to cardboard than reinforced steel after all.

Of course we hoped that they had missed which building we entered, but there was no way to be certain. Not yet anyway. Bucky moved around me to turn off my comms and doing the same to his own, any sound could betray our location, and I leaned into him heavily.

When I stopped gasping for air, Bucky offered me his bottle and I took a quick swig off the cool water, feeling it going down my sore throat. I smiled at him, still leaning on him, while his back leaned against the far wall. Though far was a big word for the distance it held with the door.  
The only reason I was not touching the door, was because I was so close to Bucky. Any distance between us, could only be accomplished by pressing myself against that door. And while a wall would absorb some sounds, a door certainly wouldn't.

Footsteps could be heard in the distance and with wide eyes I pressed my head against his shoulder, afraid my breathing could still be heard in the hallway. No matter how much is had slowed, it was still rather ragged and faster than usual. Bucky wrapped an arm around me, his metal hand covering the back of my head and I knew he was attempting to shield it from any incoming bullets. That was Bucky, always thinking two steps ahead, running all possible scenarios through, before anyone else had even grasped what was happening.

I wrapped my arms around his torso, bracing myself. And perhaps allowing myself to find comfort in his strong arms and calming scent. I had always found his scent alluring, though I never did let him know this. Our time in this closet just gave me time to really drink it in. He smelled of lemon, probably his shower gel, a metallic undertone due to his arm and something earthy underneath it all. The scent was even better when he was wearing his old leather jacket. Though this tactical suit wasn't bad either. There was also a slight sour undertone to the smells in the room, though I was certain it was my own sweat and not his. He didn't appear to be running hot.

I immediately felt dirty, but there was nothing to do about that now. Instead, I tried to push it from my mind. I could not hide it from his enhanced sense of smell. I just hoped that the rich and sweet scent of my shampoo still dominated.

The footsteps in the hall got louder as they came closer. It sounded like a horde of men that ran through the hallway. Luckily they seemed to run right past us. Still we dared not leave the small space, not yet. We had not heard any sounds of fighting, so our back up must not have arrived just yet. And so we remained completely still for as long as possible, hardly even daring to breath.

With my heart beating slower again, my breathing had returned to normal, soothing my aching throat a little. The stinging in my sides had dissipated and my legs had stopped shaking from the strain. Soon enough I would be ready to fight again. Not yet though, I hoped we would get a lengthier reprieve. If we were found this instant, Bucky would not be able to really depend on me. That wasn't something I ever wanted him to experience. It had taken him long enough to start trusting everyone. I really wanted to keep that trust.

Calm now, I began to really take in our surroundings. There were chemicals everywhere, stacked neatly in a simple metallic frame, we could use those in a fight if need be. There wasn't much else, luckily or we would not have fit in here.

At the same time I became very aware of the body pressed against mine. His strong flesh arm around my waist, as his metal one still shielded my head and neck. I could feel his heart beat evenly against my breasts as they were squashed against him. His strong thighs were pressing against my own, and I wondered what if would feel like to have one between my thighs.

Though I had never told anyone, I was sure people had noticed my crush on the soldier. Except him. He seemed oblivious. Not just with me though, with other women as well. Some had practically thrown themselves at him and he had been blind to it. He didn't seem to recognise flirting. Had it been too long? Or was he just not ready for it? I didn't know. I just knew that I would give him distance for as long as he needed it. And even then I wasn't sure I would ever confess to my crush. And by distance, I of course meant the metaphorical kind since the literal kind was hard to find in this particular moment.

The warmth of his body was seeping through my tactical gear, making it harder to ignore his impressive presence. It took quite some self control to keep my hand splayed on his back, frozen, instead of roaming over his powerful muscles. I'd never been this close to him. Only in my dreams had that happened. I wanted to bask in it, as inappropriate as it was. I wanted to hold him close and show him just what effect he had on me. But I didn't.

Instead I tried to listen for more footsteps. There was nothing. The entire building seemed to be silent now. The horde of men could not be heard on the floors above or below them either. There was only silence and darkness in their little hideout.

"I think they left" Bucky whispered, his lips very close to my ear. His breath fanned over it, causing a flutter in my stomach. Silently I berated myself, telling myself to keep it together, before I looked up to meet his eyes for the first time since we hid away.

His breathtaking, brilliant blue eyes stared back into mine, and for a moment words died on their way out of my mouth. Though the darkness seemed to swallow of the electric blue of his eyes, I had not problem imagining them. They were engraved in my brain and I would never forget how they looked.

I forgot what I was going to say. He was really close, his breath now fanning my face, his lips only inches away from mine. It would be so easy to lean forward and brush them, to move my lips over his mouth. To taste him. Of course that couldn't happen, so I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath, shaking those thoughts from my mind.

"Should we leave?" I breathed out, my voice squeaky and louder than intended. Bucky pressed a finger to his mouth, shushing me.

My eyes were now drawn to his mouth and my breath hitched. Now that he must have noticed. It took me a moment to look back up to his eyes again, a blush creeping on my face. He smiled, or was it a smirk. My current state of mind made it difficult to determine. And I was just about ready to reach for the door and face whatever was on the other side of it, just to avoid my own embarrassment.

Then his finger moved away from his mouth, his hand cupped my cheek and his thumb moved over my lips instead. My heart skipped a beat as I followed his movements and a little confused I looked back up to his eyes. What was he doing?

Before I could say anything, he leaned down, pressing his beautiful soft lips on mine, effectively taking my breath away completely. When he pulled back, I tried to withhold the whimper that was threatening to leave me mouth. Instinctively I reach up, my lips trailing his, stopping just before I touched them. What was happening? Did he really want this?

His hand still cupped my cheek, while I pulled one of my hands from his back to touch my own lips. It felt like electricity had run through me. In a good way, a very good way. I could not keep a smile from forming on my mouth as I looked at his face again and found him smiling back at me. Taking a chance, I moved, kissing him softly, moving my lips over his gently, allowing him the room to move away from me. He didn't.

Both his arms were now suddenly around my waist, holding me even closer to him as he kissed back, teeth grazing my lips as his tongue asked for entrance. Something I was all too happy to grant. My hands roamed the muscles in his back as we explored the others mouth with our tongues. One of his hands moved to my ass and squeezed, before pushing me up slightly, his thigh now between my legs.

The world around us seemingly stopped existing as we kissed, forgetting where we were, forgetting who we were even. Nothing else mattered than the feel of his lips on mine and his hands exploring my body, holding me close to him. A soft moan escaped my mouth, making his groan and his lips moved to my neck, licking, sucking and kissing it. Moving my head to the side, to give him better access, another moan escaped.

He turned us around, pushing my up against the wall, grinding into me, as his teeth grazed my collarbone. I squeezed his bottom, my core heating up rapidly and I wanted to feel more of him, so I wrapped my legs around him, just beneath his impressive buttocks.

That was when light suddenly flooded us, momentarily blinding us, as the door to the closet was pulled open. Shocked we stopped moving, and I slid my legs down until I was standing on my own two feet. Bucky moved his head up straight, his eyes wide as he tried to assess the situation that was now behind him.

I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights, until the first sound that reached us was the loud laughter of Steve Rogers. A deep shade of red covered my cheeks, as Bucky whipped around to the offending sound. Neither one of us said a word.

"Found them" Steve said into his comm and stepped aside, dramatically bowing and waving his arm, to let us out of the closet. How whole body was still shaking with laughter as we stepped into the brightly lit hallway. The three of us were the only people in said hallways, much to my relief. Though I did not think this would remain between the three of us. Steve was a little shit after all, he would be only too happy to embarrass us in front of the others. Especially with Sam and Nat.

Still, I felt no regrets as Bucky took my hand in his and we began to walk towards the exit of the building and followed Steve to the location of the jet. No regrets at all, and if Bucky's massive smile was any indication, neither did he.


End file.
